


No Plan

by Sablehaven



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Author owns and trains horses, Gay Disaster Author, Gay Disaster Hugh Culber, Gay Disaster Paul Stamets, Horses, M/M, Mustangs, Original Character(s), Rating May Change, TIP Trainer AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-02 13:00:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19441954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sablehaven/pseuds/Sablehaven
Summary: Paul is a TIP Trainer, the best in the region. He adopts mustangs and teaches them the basics of living and working with humans before they go to their permanent home.Hugh just moved out from San Francisco and hasn't even seen a horse since he was twelve. He is in horse country now though, and it is reminding him why he loved them so much.They'll be helped along of course, by some meddling friends and neighbors, so let's just sit back and see what happens.





	1. Chapter One

**Hugh**  
  
  
The past three weeks had been a whirlwind of moving. He felt like he had a million cardboard cuts, and his legs seemed to still be asleep even five days later from the drive. Hugh was tired. But on the other hand, he was happier than he had been in years.

Hugh took a slow sip from his tea and curled up a little tighter in his chair, ignoring how much like one of those celestial tea advertisements he looked like right now, and he watched the field across from his house. There was a woman there riding her horse like she did nearly every day just after dawn. He’d started waking up earlier just to watch them, feeling a little bit like a creep, but it wasn’t about her.

Her horse was a beautiful palomino, and they rode bareback, with what looked like a simple rope bridle. They’d never come close enough for him to know for certain, but he was nearly certain it was bitless. He’d never seen anyone ride like that before. His grandfather hadn’t, and neither had Hugh during those long summers he’d spent with him. He’d always been strict about keeping a light hand with the horses, but there was something different about this.

The woman and horse cantered around the curve of their pasture, slowed to a stop and spun in a circle before trotting off to the fence. He could see the bright flash of her teeth as she grinned, and the horse moved with visible joy. He’d seen how the horse ran to her every morning, perking up the second she was in sight. Sometimes she didn’t even use the bridle, just swung onto his back after he finished eating and off they went.

He missed riding. It was something he’d almost forgotten after moving to the city five years ago, just a nostalgic memory of childhood that he never even considered revisiting. Until now.

Now, he was surrounded by horses on almost every side, and pretty much everyone with more than an acre of land had at least one. And he had two, more than enough for a horse.

There was just one, tiny little problem. He knew nothing about taking care of horses.  
  
  
**Paul**  
  
  
“Remind me again Paul, why you insisted on this one?” Straal sounded far too amused, and far too fond to be seriously questioning Paul’s judgment, but he responded anyway.

“She was curious, and the curious ones are always the best.”

Straal was standing in the middle of the round pen, hands at his side and just idly watching while Morchella, the bay mare they’d picked up two days ago, cantered in circles around him without any prompting.

Paul watched from his horses’ pasture, perched on top of the fence with the camera while they patiently waited for the new horse to decide that standing still and acknowledging Straal’s existence was less stressful and easier than cantering in endless circles.

Arvensis wandered over to beg for attention and Paul obliged absently, scratching the gelding behind his ears while he watched Morchella slow to a trot, then finally she stopped and faced Straal, quivering with uncertainty.

She was going to be a high energy, active mare, and she would be incredible when she learned to trust.

Slowly, Straal backed off and turned away from her to relieve the pressure. They’d move onto the training stick tomorrow, which Straal colloquially called the ‘I’ma Touch You Stick’, no matter how many times Paul asked him not to. And he had, many, many, many times. Every single time.

Morchella watched him warily while Straal walked to the gate and quietly opened the way back into her pen. Done for the day, they’d moved past her initial issues with standing still and now they would leave her to think and absorb.

Paul hopped down and gave Arvensis a parting scratch before he walked back to the house. He had an advertisement to write for Enoki and an update for Morchella. Horses always got adopted faster if you let people fall in love with them over the course of their training.

Straal caught up to him at the porch, grinning. “So we’re trailering Amanita today, right? She’s ready, and it is the only requirement she has left,” Paul winced a little as he opened the door and blocked Ripper’s exit with one foot.

“Maybe, I want to see how she reacts to being in the chute again first. If she won’t do that calmly, then we need to keep working before we move onto the trailer. She’s ahead of schedule, there’s no need to rush her.”

Straal chuckled and shut the door behind them, “no, I know how you feel about rushing them.”  
  
  
 **Hugh**  
  
  
He was watching the two ride again, feeling uncomfortably like a stalker despite his complete lack of interest in the woman, and women in general. She’d only just swung on, and Hugh frowned as they rode to the gate instead of out into the field, and the woman unlatched it and rode out. Okay, maybe they were going for a change in scenery. Hugh shrugged to himself and started to stand. If he wasn’t going to get to watch the horse today, there was no point in staying out in the cold.

He paused while grabbing his tea mug though, and watched as she turned the corner around her property and starting trotting straight towards his house. Hugh very quietly began to panic, setting down his tea and sitting back down. She’d noticed, she’d noticed his staring, she was freaked out and he needed to find a way to explain himself without seeming like the neighborhood creep, and he needed to do it *right now.

“Hey there. Don’t look so panicked, I’m not going to eat you. Cooper said something about you watching me every morning though, and I just want to know what that was about, and if I need to call the cops.”

How did she sound so calm, so cheerful, and yet so perfectly ready to commit homicide and bury his body in the woods at the same time? It was baffling, and very impressive.

“I’m sorry,” Hugh managed to choke out through the humiliation. Oh god, even if he managed to convince her, how in the hell was he supposed to convince the neighbor that had told her? He didn’t even know who Cooper *was. “I- I wasn’t watching you.” Okay, good start.

She raised an eyebrow, looking unconvinced and the palomino snorted and shifted his weight, immediately drawing Hugh’s attention to the horse and away from the possibility of a restraining order.

God the horse was even more beautiful up close. He had a perfect star and a pale nose that took all of Hugh’s self-control not to ask if he could pet. When he finally managed to draw his eyes up, her expression had softened a touch.

“Were you seriously waking up at dawn just to watch my horse?”

When she put it like that, Hugh realized how crazy it seemed, and his blush deepened, if at all possible. She started to giggle, quietly at first, then louder, and louder until it was a full-blown cackle and she was leaning over her horse's neck trying to stay on. Hugh huffed and crossed his arms, it wasn’t *that funny.

“Seriously, okay. Wow.” She straightened up and looked to the side, shouting, “you can put the shotgun away now Leo! He’s cool!”

She turned back, her tightly coiled dark hair bouncing with the movement as she grinned at him, slightly manic. “So, if you like horses so much, why haven’t you picked one up? You’ve got the land, and as far as I can tell you’ve got the time,” she tilted her head, absently rubbing at her horse’s neck.

Hugh sighed and leaned back, uncrossing his arms. “I’ve been considering it, but I don’t even know where to start. I rode horses as a kid, but I never took care of them. I’m basically clueless about that part, and the riding I did was nothing like that,” he waved to her and her horse. He’d been right, she was riding with a rope bridle, no saddle, no bit.

“I don’t even know where you buy fencing. How on earth am I supposed to take care of a horse?”

She was eyeing him speculatively, and Hugh shifted under the scrutiny. He was provided a distraction as a man came around the corner and started limping over. He looked late sixties and had long silver hair pulled into a half ponytail. If he were to guess, he would peg that as Leo.

“Sure I don’t need the shotgun Khoudia? I know he looks like he’d cry if he stepped on a spider, but you never know!”

Hugh couldn’t help it, he started laughing. He didn’t really look like that, did he?

The man squinted at him for a second, then relaxed and strolled over much more casually. “See, this is why neighbors should be introduced before the misunderstandings start. So what was it, was he critiquing your riding or drooling over Champagne here?”

Khoudia, as she was apparently called, rolled her eyes. “His name is not Champagne, it is Tater Tot, and you know it. And yes, he was drooling over Tater.” Hugh blinked, staring at the horse. The beautiful, magnificent horse, who was apparently named after frozen food.

“Tater Tot... That is no name for a horse, especially one that pretty. Poor Champagne, don’t listen to her. You deserve a nice name, one with dignity.” The man started petting the horse’s nose while cooing at him, and Hugh nearly choked trying not to start laughing again.

So this was the neighborhood he’d moved into? “Leo, stop confusing my horse. And go get your trailer hooked up, we’re taking our new neighbor shopping for fencing. I hope you have a couple thousand to burn, this ain’t gonna be cheap, but I’ve got some extra panels and a shit ton of posts you can use. Tater sure doesn’t need them, he already has my entire property to roam.”

Hugh looked at her, taking a minute to absorb what she was saying, and what she meant by it. “Wait, wait I don’t even know where to get a horse around here!”

She grinned at him, lazy and kind of smug. “Same place I got this boy, of course, from Stamets.”

She turned Tater around with a gentle lift of the reins and glanced back at him over her shoulder, “be ready in ten minutes. Oh, by the way, what is your name?”

Hugh wondered at exactly what moment he’d lost control of his life, and been rail-roaded into shopping for a horse. “Umm, Hugh. Why-”

And she was gone, cantering back across the road before he could ask why she was doing this. Which meant there was nothing for him to do but finish his tea and get his shoes on. Apparently, he was going shopping.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hugh has been shanghaied into adopting a horse and is also a gay disaster. Don't worry, we'll see Paul's reaction next chapter.

**Paul**   
  


There was magic in how a horse moved. Paul had lived and breathed it for years, and he never got over the rhythm and grace of a walk, or the awe-inspiring power and elegance of a gallop. Mustangs inspired him most of all, there was a simplicity in how they moved, nothing in their movement was intended for human consumption, it was just for survival and communication, and so they were very, very, good at it.

So he was perfectly happy to lean against the fence and watch them play. Morchello was leading the other two around the pen at a full gallop, her neck lowered and chest heaving as she ran. She stopped at a corner and spun around, driving the others in the opposite direction and quickly taking the lead.

“Paul, Khoudia is going to be here with the adopter in half an hour, you might want to start bringing them down,” Straal called and Paul glanced over to see him immediately duck back into the house. Paul returned his gaze the horses, smiling and straightened. They all paused, heads high and alert when he stepped into the pen. Morchella had made so much progress in the past week, it was astonishing, but she was still skittish at times.

Amanita and Enoki started to wander with a bob of their head, drawn by their curiosity and responding to his quiet request of a raised hand a slight turn to the side. Morchella snorted and stayed where she was, an improvement from her attempts earlier this week to keep the other horses away from him.

  
They reached him and Paul gently scratched Enoki behind the ears and let Amanita nose his hand before he scratched her forehead right above the star. They were both stunning horses, and Paul had no doubt they would be adopted. He just didn’t know which was going first.

  
Either way, he wasn’t saying goodbye today. Khoudia had been quite clear that she was bringing in a newcomer, and for now, he was just meeting them. Paul really couldn’t deny that he was curious, she was his favorite out of all the past adopters, and he could only imagine who she had approved enough to bring in personally.

  
Paul gave them both one last pat before waving them into the roundpen, enforcing it with a pat against his leg when Amanita lifted her head into the pressure. He definitely needed a few more days with them, whether he approved the adopter or not.

  
They walked in though and he closed the gate behind them, leaving Morchella in the main pen. The others would act more like themselves without her, and if he could subtly discourage an inexperienced owner from adopting her, that would be for the best.

  
Straal came strolling out of the house as Paul left the pen, folders in hand. Each one was clearly labeled and held every scrap of information they had on the horses. Age, facility, markings, past injuries, pictures throughout their various phases of life, starting with the very first picture of them in the facility before they were even chosen. He had a bookcase full on them in his office, from past adoptions. The adopter always got a copy, but he kept the original. It was hopelessly sentimental, but he wouldn’t deny that he missed every last one of them.

  
“Alright, they’re here. Looks like they dragged Leo into it too, it’s his truck.”

  
Paul sighed.

  
Khoudia was an incredible woman. Leo was brilliant and kind, and Paul kind of hated him.

  
Leo has been a horse owner for years, and Paul had learned a lot from watching him before he retired because his arthritis got too far along. Now he had stubbornly adopted the entire neighborhood he lived in, and he had brought Khoudia in when she showed up out of the blue.

  
Hated him, but loved him more than anything, no matter how exhausting he was to deal with.

  
“Alright, let's go.”

**Hugh**

If his first week living here had been a whirlwind, then the second the was a hurricane. Khoudia and Leo were stubborn, persistent, energetic and the kindest people he had ever met in his life. On the first day, they had dragged him shopping for rope, fencing, feed and grooming tools without so much as a by-your-leave.

  
The second day he’d learned to tie a rope halter from Leo, been dragged through grooming and feeding Tater by Khoudia, and every day since had been filled with putting up the fence with help from Khoudia and largely unhelpful directions from Leo.

  
He still didn’t recall having actually agreed to get a horse, but apparently, his lack of disagreement was sufficient. And as the days past, he got more and more excited. He’d wanted to, he’d been sort of planning on it. They had just... Hurried things along.

  
Probably by at least a month, possibly a year.

  
And now here he was, outside the gate of the infamous Stamets residence.

* * *

  
_“You mentioned Stamets, is that a training facility?” Hugh glanced over at Khoudia, finally remembering the question he’d meant to ask days ago, and she snorted._   
_“Paul Stamets, he’s a trainer. He and Straal are the best, they trained Tater. Picked him out of the herd and helped him learn to trust. I’m always going to be grateful for that.”_

* * *

_“Stamets? Yeah, he’s the best alright. Just try not to let him run you over, he can be a bit... What's a tactful way to put this?” Leo finished the knot and then started to loosen it again, “ah, screw tact. He’s an abrasive dick and he doesn’t have the patience for anything with less than four legs. Straal’s nice though, he’ll keep Paul from biting your head off for no reason.”_

* * *

  
_“Uhh, Hugh. I realize I kind of forgot to warn you, and we’re going tomorrow. Paul is a great guy, and a great trainer, he really is. He’s just... Not always the nicest? I mean, if he likes you he’s a sweetheart, but he can be really abrasive and isn’t very patient. So, try not to take it personally?”_

* * *

After a week’s worth of scattered warnings, Hugh was understandably nervous.

  
It was entirely possible that he could screw this up badly enough that he wouldn’t be allowed to adopt, and he’d have to go elsewhere. Which would probably mean starting the training he wanted from scratch. So a good impression was paramount right now.

  
The first outfit he’d left the house in, Leo had just taken him by the shoulders and pushed him right back inside. His second option had been more practical, and Leo had at least let him off the porch. So, practical attire and a brush up from Khoudia on not offending a horse within the first five seconds, Hugh took a deep breath.

  
And nearly choked on it.

  
The man stepping into view was like no one Hugh had ever seen before and he nearly choked. His hair was a blonde that ranged into white, and skin so pale it seemed to glow in the sun that filtered through the trees. He was beautiful, in an unearthly way that only deepened with the small smile he gave them as he and his partner opened the gates to let them through.

  
Khoudia cleared her throat in the back seat, and Hugh slowly looked away as the truck started, and he saw Leo’s not exactly judgmental stare, and then Khoudia’s very amused grin. Great.

  
“Guess I should’ah mentioned that he was pretty one, huh?” Leo rumbled and shook his head as the truck pulled through the gates. Hugh cleared his throat nervously and straightened his jacket.

  
“That- that would have been helpful, yes. Oh god, please don’t let me humiliate myself again.”

  
He glared when Leo and Khoudia just looked at each other, then ignored him as they pulled to a stop next to a corral, and Hugh forgot all about extracting any kind of promise from them.

  
There were two horses walking along the fence to greet them, with heads held high and eyes bright. The one in the lead was a bay Appaloosa, and the gelding just behind her was a brilliant dapple grey. They were stunning, manes brushed out to show off the freeze mark that announced them as mustangs.

  
Khoudia climbed out of the truck and grinned at him. “Come on,” she waved him out impatiently and Hugh followed, and then looked as she gestured towards another pen. The first horse he saw was a bay, head held high and eyes trained directly on him like he was an unwelcome intruder, and then he looked away to the other two in the pen next to that one.

  
There were two horses there, watching them curiously. Then the man walked past, and when he looked at him, Hugh saw eyes such a brilliant blue that he promptly forgot how to breathe.


	3. Chapter 3

**Paul**  
  
  
Paul was doing a very good job of keeping his cool, he thought, despite the deeply amused looks Straal kept throwing his way. There was only so much he could do, really, when the most beautiful man on the entire planet had just stepped out of the truck and into his ranch.

He was definitely blushing and there was absolutely no way to hide it. Why, why did he have to be so pale. And the guy was staring, so there was really no chance that he hadn’t noticed.

Leo snorted and Paul shot him a murderous look which Leo ignored with the ease of practice. “Paul this is Hugh, Hugh this is the infamous Paul. Don’t worry, his bark is worse than his bite. Speaking of which, I’m gonna go say hi to Ripper. Try and keep your partner on the straight and narrow, okay Justin?” Leo strolled away, cackling to himself like he’d just made the funniest joke in the world, and Paul was going to murder him. Slowly.

Later. He cleared his throat and turned to the roundpen, “come on, you ready to meet them?” And suddenly Hugh was much closer than Paul was prepared for, arm nearly brushing his as he caught up, and Paul tried not to let the hitch in his breath show.

“Of course, they are both stunning by the way.”

Would it be too obvious if he started jogging to get away from him? It would be, right?

“They are indeed,” Straal sounded entirely too amused and Paul gave him a warning look that was immediately ignored. “The paint is Amanita, aka Amanita Muscaria and the dun is Enoki, aka Flammulina Velutipes. Of course, you are free to name the one you adopt whatever you like if you aren’t a mushroom obsessed dork like Stamets.”

Yes, they were all going to die. They were all going to dye a painful, fiery death. And then he would use them all as fertilizer like Straal was always joking he probably did the adopters he didn’t like.

Khoudia snickered and Paul ignored her in favor of turning to Hugh, refusing to be so obvious this time in staring at him. “You can go in the pen if you like, just let them check you out first. After that, we’ll go from there.”

He could see Straal theatrically rolling his eyes, undoubtedly at his extremely brusque way of talking to the man who was currently giving him heart palpitations just by smiling at him.  
  
How in the hell was he going to survive this?  
  
  
 **Hugh**

  
He was officially done for. Head over heels. Smitten. Shot through the heart by Cupid’s bloody arrow.

All it took was that faint but oh so obvious blush and Hugh was hearing wedding bells. He named his horses after *mushrooms! How cute was that? And as Hugh watched, he went over to the pen and the horses immediately wandered over, ears perked forward and just so happy that Hugh grinned helplessly as he watched them.

Khoudia gave him a knowing look when he glanced at her for assurance, and then he stepped slowly to the fence. He hesitated before offering his hand for them to smell and nearly flinched when Paul gently pulled it down then slipped something to him. “Humans are predators, not the best smell. Go ahead, make a good first impression.”

Hugh glanced at his hand, smiling a little when he saw two walnut-sized treats. He couldn’t identify all of it at a glance, but he knew he saw flax seed, oats and bits of carrot in it. So almost definitely homemade, which was just adorable. Ridiculously adorable.

He offered one to the dun as they came over slowly, then more eagerly when they saw he had food, and then Paul was touching him again, flattening his hand before pulling back again. “Please don’t get your fingers bitten off, I really don’t need the lawsuit.”

Enoki took the treat and Amanita crowded over to beg for one like an overgrown puppy, and Hugh offered it up, this time reaching through with his free hand to scratch her cheek. She accepted it, and he immediately relaxed.

Nervously he glanced at Paul and became immensely grateful for his darker skin because he knew he was blushing. There was just a second there where he could see a softness in Paul’s eyes, and if he had any doubt before, it was gone now.

“Probably should have covered the ’don't let them bite your fingers off’ thing with Tater, huh?” Khoudia said and Paul broke his gaze. Damn it.

“Yes, speaking of which Khoudia, exactly how much experience does he have?”

Hugh cringed at the tone and studiously ignored them in favor of the horses who seemed to have moved past hoping for more treats and were now inspecting his clothes.

“Uh, you know. A few summers with his grandfather’s horses. Who was from the uh, ‘kick to go, pull to stop’ school of thought…”

Hugh nearly looked over, just because he had never heard Khoudia sound anything less than one hundred percent assured of herself before. He resisted the urge, because he could feel* the outrage radiating from Paul like it was something physical and potentially dangerous.

“Okay, seriously though Paul! He wants to learn, he really wants to learn.”

There was a beat of silence, then Paul sighed. “Fine, but don’t expect me to teach him everything alone. And he’s not leaving here with a horse until I’m sure he can take proper care of it.”

He could hear the grin in Khoudia’s voice when she replied, “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

She sounded so smug, Hugh wondered if he should be afraid. Then Enoki nudged his hand and he forgot all about it. He divided his attention between both of them, doling out scratches equally in an attempt to keep them from pushing each other aside. Movement caught his eye and Hugh smiled as the dark bay approached the fence, watching him with wary curiosity.

She was stunning, with dark points and almost red sections around her belly, legs, and nose. "That is Morchello, she hasn't been with us nearly as long as the other two. Got her a week ago, she's high energy and still figuring out how to trust people,"

Paul's voice was incredibly soft and Hugh watched him approach the fence and offer the mare his hand, hoping he didn't look too obviously smitten with the abrasive man who softened to quickly for the horses.  
Morchello looked at the hand for a second, chewing on nothing, then stepped closer and nudged Paul's hand. There was something in that small movement, that little sign of trust that was monumental. That was a horse who up until a week ago had hardly even seen people, had never been touched except for veterinary care. And she had made the decision to trust.

He met Paul's gaze and saw the same thought there. The awe and indescribable joy in having a wild animal choose to trust you.

Then he pulled his hand away and broke eye contact in a slow movement, relieving the pressure from Morchello, and - Hugh suspected - from himself. No wonder he got on with the horses so well.

"So, do you have a favorite yet?"

Hugh let Paul draw back, retreating into his shell again, and almost smiled at accidentally comparing the man to a turtle, immediately after drawing parallels between him and his horses. “I don’t think so, they’re both very friendly. Maybe if I got to meet them one on one?” He tried not to sound too hopeful, both at the prospect of coming back here and seeing Paul again and at being in the pen with one of the horses.

Paul just nodded, leaning back against the fence, any smoothness the gesture might have had immediately lost when the appaloosa reached through to lip at his shoulder.

“Of course, that is always the next step. We’re going to need to have a talk about pressure and release first, I don’t want you ruining all my work,” Paul gently pushed the horse’s nose away as the spoke, seriously detracting from any harshness in his words, and Hugh tried not to smile.

“Alright, when do we start? I have a violin lesson to teach in a few hours, but other than that I’m free,” he stopped trying not to smile when Paul started scratching the horse’s cheek, letting her rest her chin on his shoulder. Yes, there really was no doubt was there? He would win this man over eventually, and it sounded like he would have plenty of time to do so.


End file.
